Support for post on the "Formation of the Grand Canyon"

Brachiopod fossil along Boucher Trail (Picture 1 )
Crinoid and coral fossils along Widforss Trail (Picture 2)

In the process of looking for any new web information for this blog, I came across some support for an aquatic environment once existing in the Grand Canyon. The above pictures are fossils of organisms that live in water, as I discovered after looking up the names of the organisms to learn more about them. In my mind, these photos are full of possibilities.

Geology of the Grand Canyon

Formation of the Grand Canyon

After viewing the Grand Canyon, I believe the canyon may have been formed through processes other than weathering resulting from the flow of the Colorado River. Travel guides and books usually say the canyon formed because of the flow of Colorado River over rocks that has been occurring for the last million (or billion) years. However, I believe more was involved. I would suggest that a large lake used to fill the entire Grand Canyon. Of course, the lake dried up over time, due to the heat and lack of precipitation in the area, maybe in the same way Lake Asal is drying up. Even the Colorado River itself would have dried up if the Glen Canyon Dam had not been created. The formations of the rocks and the width of the Canyon leave me with that impression. I have seen what lakes look like when water dries up, and I see a correlation between the gorge left from the lake and the Grand Canyon gorge. The formation of the Grand Canyon must have been a fascinating process that would be fascinating to see replicated.

Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon on the Navajo (though they prefer to be called Dido) reserves made entirely of sandstone rock. The sandstone was gradually eroded by flash floods. Water easily seeps through the pores of sandstone allowing this type of extreme weathering to occur. During the annual flood season, up to 8 feet of stone can be worn away in a very short time.

Antelope Canyon has two sections. "These sections are referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew." Upper Antelope Canyon is found right inside the Canyon from the entrance. It is also the place where flash flooding occurs. Rainfall does not have to occur right over the Canyon for flash flooding to occur. Lower Antelope Canyon is on the opposite end of the canyon from the entrance. It is an outer section of sandstone.

Historical Facts:

Antelope did roam freely through Antelope Canyon in the past.
Navajos would prefer to be called Didos because they dislike the implications behind the name Navajo, which is a Spanish word that means "thief."

Meteor Crater

Late in our trip to the Grand Canyon, while visiting the La Posada hotel, my husband and I took a day to visit a nearby attraction called Meteor Crater. Meteor Crater is about 45 minutes from Wilson over a vast expanse of flat, sandy, arid grasslands. Meteor Crater was far more interesting than either of us would have imagined, and relatively cheap to get into at $12 for adults/6 dollars for children. Meteor Crater is the only major attraction in the area.

We discovered that Meteor Crater is a very old, huge depression 0.74 miles in diameter and 550 feet deep. Apparently, in prehistoric times a meteor fell from outer space and impacted the Earth. The impact shattered the meteor. 0nly a small piece of the meteor remains (bottom picture). The only evidence of the impact of the meteor is the depression and skid marks (uplifted portions of land surrounding the crater).

Canyons

The Grand Canyon is only one of the many Canyons scattered all over the world. Even in the state of Arizona, other canyons can be found: Meteor Canyon and Antelope Canyon. Other significant Canyons are found in Europe and South America. In Armenia, a well-known canyon is named Noravank Canyon. The Guaitara Canyon is in Colombia, South America. Canyons are inspiring natural formations found all over the world, displaying how time and erosion can dramatically change the landscape.


Canyons are unique in that there formations are made through time, weathering, erosion.

Global Warming- Post 3

Reading these articles did very little to change my opinion of Global Warming. After watching the video by Al Gore and the other by a group of scientists, I am convinced that Global Warming is a falsity. It is not something I should be freaking out about. However, that does not mean I am against caring for the Earth. While the Earth is not going to fall apart on us, I believe it is our duty to care for our planet. Let's face it, we have only one planet to live on and a remote possibility that we could destroy the Earth does exist. But I will admit that my concerns lie with the other environmental issues of the day, not with Global Warming. For example, we treat animals very badly in our meat production factories. Animals should not be treated with brutality in the process of providing us the consumers a product. Saving endandered wildlife is a concern as well. We should do whatever we can to find a balance between human need for land to live on and an animal's need for the same. The threat environmental issues pose to human health is another consideration. Human health is fragile, as seen in the high incidence of cancer among us. Widespread impure waters cannot be good for humanity. Caring for the earth in order to save fun environments is important as well. Swimming in different waterways, such as rivers, lakes, and streams is a thing of the past in some areas because of pollution. Beautifying our world is a cause I am personally invested in. For example, it is important to clean roads and cities for aesthetic reasons. Highways are more beautiful when they are not marred by litter, as are cities. I am committed to offering my services to the environment and doing whatever I can to protect wildlife. Each one of us has a place in the effort of preserving our world.

What have you learned about the concept of Global Warming that you would like to share with other students?

Global Warming as a cause appears rather ridiculous after learning everything I have over the last few months. The proponents of Global Warming are inconsistent. Their cries of destruction fail to be actualized most of the time. Sometimes they predict an Ice Age, and at other times they predict warming, which leads me to believe that they are just trying to get people worked up and increase their income. I've learned that global warming is a more political than environmental cause. The fact that the origins of global warming coincide with Margaret Thatcher leads me to disbelieve the whole global warming debacle. Are politicians ever trustworthy? Trust- that leads me to the personal reasons or disbelieving in Global Warming. I cannot believe in something when I find the supporters of the cause to be untrustworthy. I have never felt Al Gore was an honest man. He has a strange vibe that causes me to put up my guard. I have to take everything he says with a grain of salt. The other people involved in the movement evoke the same reaction. It is too easy for politicians to approach environmental issues with ulterior motives, especially when money is involved.

I propose that students continue questioning everything they are presented with using the same methods they have been given while learning about and discussing Global Warming.

To my fellow students I say, Don't trust everything that is told you, even if you constantly hear the same thing from multiple voices. Don't trust the assumptions and presuppositions given you. Approach everything-- science, religion, textbooks, teachers, music, art, family-- with questions. Search for the truth. Look for all sides of an argument or cause. Know what you believe because you have researched it and found it to be true in your own heart and mind. Be wary of assumptions- in others and in yourself.

California Condor

On the rim of the Grand Canyon, I sighted and photographed a California Condor. The California Condor has been endangered for over 20 years, since 1890 when only 22 individuals were alive. All of these lived in captivity. Today, its population is still under 300 individuals. Natural proneness to extinction combined with hunting, lead poisoning, DDT poisoning, and habitat destruction has contributed to the difficulty this bird has thriving.

The California Condor is a member of the vulture family; it is also the world's rarest bird of prey (a scavenger). A bird of prey hunts for food primarily using its talons. These birds have excellent vision for this purpose. The appearance of the California Condor is fairly uniform. They have black feathers, a multicolored, bare head, and a curved beak. The size and weight of the California Condor is atypical for birds of prey because the female is smaller than the male. Its length from head to talon ranges from 46 to 53 inches, and the wingspan averages 9.1 feet. The weight ranges from 15.5 to 31 lbs, with estimations of average weight ranging from 17.6 to 20 lbs. Most of these measurements are taken from birds raised in captivity. California Condors have the second biggest wingspan of any North American bird. The California Condor has interesting mating habits. It mates at a later age and tends to produce few young.

Groundsel, ( Senecio franciscanus)

The Senecio Franciscanus is a protected plant whose only suitable habitat over the whole of America is in Northern Arizona. 5000 individual Grounsels are found in alpine tundra areas of southwestern spruce-fir forests on talus slopes between elevations of 10,991 and 12,303 feet. Because the Groundsel is adapated to such a small area, they are an easily threatened species.

The San Francisco Peaks is a volcano that is located North of Flagstaff, Arizona. It is the highest point in the southwestern United States. (The Peaks can be seen from the Grand Canyon.) This is the only alpine zone in Arizona.

Senecio franciscanus is dwarf perennial plant. It is found low to the ground due to its height only reaching 1.25 to 4 inches. The stems of the Groundsel develop a group of one to six flowers that each contain 8 to 13 yellow ray flowers. Grounsels reproduce through vegetation with the aid of Rhizomes most often, and seeding.


Damage to the Groundsel occurs through human and natural interactions with their habitat. Human damage will take place whenever humans walk through the alpine slops off trail. Natural damage in the form of Avalanches in the mountains destroy these plants.

These plants are currently being protected and will continue to be into the future as a specific rather than generalized plant.

Arizona Biomes

Arizona is far more diverse than I would have imagined. I knew about the desert biome in Arizona, covering most of the southern part of the state, but I didn't consider that other biomes are also alive and well in the state. According to this map, desert, alpine tundra, grasslands deciduous and conifer forests exist in the state. On my trip I frequently pointed to the snow on top of the California Peaks (Mt. St. Humphrey's to be specific). Unbeknonst to me at the time, this is the one area of Alpine Tundra in the state. The Great Plains extend into Northern Arizona. Plains Grassland is dominated by little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), and sideoats grama grass (Bouteloua curtipendula). The Woodlands are located all over Northern Arizona. Apparently, this biome is named for two types of trees most dominant in this biome: juniper and pinyon. Alpine Tundra is perpetually freezing weather, where snow is present most of the year. These extreme environmental conditions only allow the establishment of prostrate shrubs, matt-like herbaceous plants, mosses, and lichens. Several areas of conifer forests, called Montane forests exist in Northern Arizona. Conifer forests are evergreen forests. Deciduous trees are found in Oak Creek Canyon. The trees are called Alnus oblongifolia, Acer grandidentatum, and Populus angustifolia. Arizona Biomes include desert, grassland, alpine tundra, woodland, and conifer and deciduous forest.

Arizona Biomes

Grand Canyon Soil

Upon visiting the Hualapai Reservation, I realized that the soils of the Grand Canyon area are not suited to production. Grass was often absent in the front yards of the homes. I did not see any gardens. The size and even distribution of the trees were another tell-tale sign that the soils were undeveloped.

I have learned that the soils of the Grand Canyon vary. They range from moist forest soils to shallow, dry mineral soils and bedrock exposures. Soil textures of the inner canyon are sandy loam, sands, or loamy sands.

Soil types of the Grand Canyon erode very easily and restore nutrients slowly. These sandy soils allow water to be absorbed immediately, a process which leaves soils dry shortly after a raninfall. The soils require little disturbance to create erosion problems. Many park areas show essentially no human impact to soils. Other areas, formerly used for farming, grazing, and mining, and the developed areas, have impacted soils.

Global Warming- 2

I believe this antiglobal warming video contains better science and is more rational than the Al Gore speech.

The views of the scientists do coincide with what I have learned this semester. I learned that CO2 makes up little of the atmosphere, yet does much to warm the environment. But the warming the environment receives from CO2 is nothing compared to the warming the earth receives from the Sun. The scientists point out excellent flaws that can result from invalid testing methods. For example, different people have done testing that shows warming of the environment occurred far earlier than Al Gore's research suggested. The warming actually began around 1940. Al Gore used ice core data in his speech, yet ice core data from geological material that leaves valid dates for recording climate suggests a link that contradicts his assertion completely. The link is the wrong way around. These scientists revealed that Co2 doesn't drive temperature change, but follows temperature change. Based on what I've learned, that is a very correct assertion. The biogeochemical patterns display this temperature increase and slow CO2 increase. In addition to their suggestion that CO2 rises from everything on earth and human production of CO2 is in the single digits about 6%, it is easy to believe the scientists' assertions.

The weakest point the scientists made came in the last portion of the message. They go into detail about the poor in third world countries. While most of what they said was correct, I could not trust the point because it did not support their reasonings very well. Their point was that politicians are trying to keep people in third world counries in squalor. However, the way the point was presented, it wasn't strictly scientific.

As persons, I tend to trust scientists far more than politicians. What do scientists (excluding environmental scientists) have to gain from lying about ecology in comparison to politicians? Politicians have far more motivaton for lying or neglecting significant truths.

On a gut level, I find Al Gore to be a biased representative of climate change, while the scientists are more unbiased. Al Gore is rather repulsive to me as a man and seems pretty untrustworthy. I picked up on more depth of reason and integrity in the scientists.